Air Miles credit cards are the easiest way to maximize the earning power of Canada’s most popular loyalty program. Instead of only earning Miles with retail partners, cardholders can earn miles on every purchase and most cards offer higher returns than the Air Miles Collector Card that every member receives. This Forbes Advisor list compares the best Air Miles credit cards in Canada to help you squeeze more Miles out of every dollar you spend.
Bonus Points: Collect extra Miles on credit card purchases from partners by scanning your Air Miles Collect Card at the time of purchase.
1
American Express® Aeroplan®* Card
Welcome Bonus
Up to 50,000 Aeroplan points
Annual Fee
$120
Regular APR
30% (Charge Card)
2
WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard
Welcome Bonus
Up to $450 in WestJet Dollarsǂ
Annual Fee
$119
Regular APR (Purchases) / Regular APR (Cash Advances)
20.99% / 22.99%
3
WestJet RBC Mastercard
Welcome Bonus
Up to 100 WestJet Dollars
Annual Fee
$39
Regular APR
20.99%
When determining a rating for individual credit cards, the Forbes Advisor Canada editorial team factors in an exhaustive list of data points. With Air Miles credit cards, the scoring model used takes into account factors such as, but not limited to, earn rates and categories, fees, welcome bonus, and other rewards and features. Keep in mind, what may be best for some people might not be right for you. Conduct informed research before deciding which cards will best help you achieve your financial goals.
The BMO Air Miles World Elite Mastercard is best suited for collectors who want competitive earn rates and travel perks on one card.
Rewards: Every $12 charge earns 3 Miles on purchases from Air Miles partners, 2 Miles on groceries and 1 Mile on everything else.
Welcome Offer: 2,000 Air Miles after the first three months.
Annual Fee: $120 (waived in the first year)
Other Benefits and Drawbacks: The earn rate on this card is still competitive for an Air Miles credit card. However, the $500 monthly cap on groceries reduces the overall rewards potential.
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The BMO AIR MILES World Elite Business Mastercard offers a flat earn rate and instant rebates on everyday business expenses.
Rewards: Every $12 purchase will earn 4 Miles from Air Miles partners and 1 Mile everywhere else.
Welcome Offer: 3,000 Air Miles after the first 90 days.
Annual Fee: $149 (waived in the first year)
Other Benefits and Drawbacks: Premium travel benefits and merchant rebates increase the overall value of this card. Supplementary cards can earn points faster, but this can add up to $1,100 in annual fees ($50 per card).
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The BMO AIR MILES Mastercard is a no-fee card with straightforward rewards and extra discounts.
Rewards: Every $25 in net purchases will earn 3 Miles at Air Miles partners, 2 Miles at grocery stores and 1 Mile at other eligible locations.
Welcome Offer: 800 Air Miles after the first 90 days and 0.99% interest on balance transfers for nine months.
Annual Fee: $0
Other Benefits and Drawbacks: Gold Status benefits help offset lower earn rates. This status lets members use fewer Miles to book flights and buy merchandise.
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The BMO AIR MILES No-Fee Business Mastercard can benefit business owners and employees who frequently fill up at Shell stations for work commutes or trips.
Rewards: Every $20 purchase earns 1.25 Miles at Shell stations and 1 Mile everywhere else.
Welcome Offer: 1,000 Air Miles after the first three months.
Annual Fee: $0
Other Benefits and Drawbacks: Earning bonus Miles at Shell gas stations adds an extra rewards category to an otherwise standard no-annual-fee card. However, it only bumps up the base rate by 0.25.
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The Student BMO AIR MILES Mastercard offers an easy way to build a credit history while earning travel rewards.
Rewards: Every $25 in card charges will earn 3 Miles at Air Miles partners, 2 Miles at grocery stores and 1 Mile on all other purchases.
Welcome Offer: 800 Air Miles after the first three months.
Annual Fee: $0
Other Benefits and Drawbacks: No annual fees and a grocery bonus category are pretty standard for student cards. Most students would benefit more from fuel or transit rewards than discounts on Cirque du Soleil shows.
Data research and analysis by Debra Toews and Tia Duncombe.
Air Miles is a loyalty program that allows you to earn Reward Miles, which can be redeemed for travel, merchandise, events and everyday purchases. With an Air Miles branded credit card, you can earn Air Miles on every dollar you spend on your card, not just at select retailers.
Find the Air Miles credit card you’re interested in and apply online or in person, at that financial institution’s branch. You’ll need to provide basic information about yourself, including your legal name, address and social insurance number.
Air Miles credit cards earn Air Miles on your purchases. Most will reward you more for spending in certain categories. Air Miles (or Dream Miles) you earn can be redeemed for a variety of things, including travel and merchandise.
If you already shop at Air Miles partner stores, an Air Miles credit card may benefit you. It also may benefit you if you already collect rewards through the program. Air Miles did a comparison between February 2021 and July 2021 that showed Air Miles credit card users earned an average of 2,557 Reward Miles compared to non-credit card using collectors, who only earned 327 Reward Miles during that period.
Different Air Miles credit cards have different levels of eligibility, typically based on your credit score and annual income.
You must be of the age of majority in your province or territory to qualify for a credit card.
Different Air Miles credit cards require different credit scores. If you have bad credit, you may not qualify for one.
Depending on your yearly income, you may qualify for a higher-tier Air Miles credit card.
Air Miles credit cards are only available through two providers in Canada: BMO and American Express. BMO only provides Air Miles Mastercards,
American Express and Mastercard are two major providers. While American Express comes with certain perks, Mastercard has the advantage of being more widely accepted. They’re also the only credit card accepted at Costco.
Different Air Miles credit cards earn Reward Miles at different rates. You have to make sure the rates line up with your spending habits and the higher rates are in purchase categories where you spend most often.
Each Air Miles credit card has a unique mix of features. These can range from free additional cards and purchase protection to discounts on rental cars.
Air Miles credit cards range in annual fees from $0 per year to over $200 per year. While a higher fee can carry more perks, estimate your usage to make sure you’re getting the rewards and features to make the high fee worth it.
Air Miles collectors who get 5,000 or more Miles in one calendar year can achieve Onyx status. This comes with top-tier perks such as priority customer service, access to personal shopping service and the ability to book select flights using fewer Miles than you would with Gold.
Many Air Miles cards come with a hefty welcome bonus. Make sure you will meet the spending criteria to get the full benefit.
Air Miles credit cards often include travel insurance, since they’re a loyalty program primarily focused on travel.
Many Air Miles credit cards come with additional perks, like insurance coverage for mobile devices, extended warranties, purchase protection, discounts on everything from car rentals to entertainment, access to pre-sale tickets, exclusive experiences and more.
Air Miles and Aeroplan are two of the most popular travel rewards programs in Canada—and both have associated credit cards. Here’s a comparison between the programs:
Air Miles cards typically earn 1 Mile per $10, $12, $15 or $25 in eligible purchases.
There is no set amount of Miles needed for a flight, since flight prices fluctuate with the market. Like most flights, the longer the distance, the more expensive the flight. However, you can calculate the number of Miles needed here. It’s estimated that a typical short-haul flight (say Toronto to New York City) would take between 1,400 and 1,700 Dream Miles. An overseas flight (say Montreal to Paris) would take between 6,000 and 9,000 Dream Miles.
Cash Miles have a stable value and can only be redeemed for merchandise, statement credit, event tickets and more. Dream Miles can be redeemed for travel, but their value fluctuates according to when you’re booking, where you’re going and how far it is from your point of origin.
Can I Convert Cash Miles to Dream Miles?
No. You cannot transfer Cash Miles to Dream Miles or vice versa retroactively. You can change what percentage of your Air Miles are Dream and what percentage are Cash using the slider in your account settings, but the new distribution only applies to Miles earned going forward.
A short-haul flight typically costs over 1,000 Air Miles, but the amount of Miles needed fluctuates with flight costs. season of booking and distance you are traveling.
You can earn Air Miles through every day spending on your credit card and at an accelerated rate at partner stores. If you present your Air Miles Collector Card at the same time as you are making a purchase with your Air Miles Credit Card, you will earn double the miles at that retailer.
You can sometimes get Air Miles through select promotional offers and by visiting AirMiles.ca before you shop and navigating to specific partner retailers through the Air Miles online portal.
How you redeem your Air Miles will depend on what type of Miles you’re redeeming, Cash Miles or Dream Miles. Cash Miles can be redeemed when buying merchandise of any kind at the Air Miles website while Dream Miles can be redeemed for flights when you book through AirMiles.ca or call Air Miles customer service.
You can redeem Miles online or in-store. Every 95 Cash Miles is worth $10 in purchase value, either in store or for an e-Voucher.
To redeem Dream Miles, you can browse the travel portal or the Air Miles catalogue for merchandise and flights. Once purchased, the Dream Miles will be automatically withdrawn from your account.
You can redeem your Air Miles rewards a variety of ways, such as:
One of the main things Air Miles is known for is its ability to earn travel rewards, such as:
You can redeem Air Miles for flights, both short-haul and long-haul, with partner airlines.
You can redeem Air Miles for hotel stays.
You can redeem Air Miles in store at participating partner shops.
Dream Miles can be redeemed online for travel experiences and merchandise.
Dream Miles are earned the same way as Cash Miles, through your spending both in-store and online. However, Dream Miles must be redeemed through the Air Miles portal online.
Dream Miles rewards can be redeemed for experiences like flights, hotels, vacation packages and car rentals. They can also be redeemed for select merchandise.
Related: Best value credit card Canada
It’s easy to collect Air Miles but there are ways to do so even faster. Here are eight tips to make the most of your purchases and your Miles:
1) Use your Air Miles credit card for daily purchases, such as your morning coffee, gas or shopping online. Just make sure you pay off your balance each month.
2) Get Air Miles twice by paying with your Air Miles credit card and showing your Air Miles collector card at checkout.
3) Check the website or online app for bonus Miles through a multiplier promotion, such as 5X the Air Miles for spending at certain participating retailers.
4) Visit airmilesshops.ca to browse over 250 retailers, such as Amazon.ca, Lululemon and Mac. Once you complete your purchase, you’ll get 1 Miles for every $20 (before tax) you spend. There are also promotions where you get a certain number of bonus Miles for spending a minimum amount, such as 100 Bonus Miles for a minimum $80 spend.
5) Opt in on the app to take advantage of any “Flash Offers, More Miles” promotions, where you can earn Bonus Miles for opting in and shopping before the deadline.
6) Follow Air Miles on social media to keep on top of upcoming promotions, especially around big occasions, such as Black Friday.
7) Stack eligible offers together, where you can double or even triple the number of Miles. For example, if Air Miles is running a promotion worth 5X the usual number of Miles and that partner is also offering a bonus offer, you can opt-in to that deal and get both rewards.
8) Earn extra miles with subscription-based services, such as DoorDash or Amazon Music.
It depends on how you like to spend. Aeroplan is a loyalty rewards program specifically for Air Canada, so this card makes sense if you prefer to fly with them. That said, you can still redeem points for a variety of items, including merchandise and gift cards. Air Miles, on the other hand, is a general loyalty program with multiple retail partners for flights, travel packages and other rewards.
Air Miles redemption rates fluctuate based on distance. A short-haul flight can start at 1,400 Miles, while international flights typically start around 30,000 Miles.
Air Miles don’t expire so long as your account is active. Travel rewards tied to an inactive account will expire in 24 months without a purchase or redemption.
You can visit the Air Miles website to order a new card that should arrive by mail within two to three weeks. You’ll need the email registered with your account to access your Collector Card number. You can also download the Air Miles app instead of a physical card.
The best no fee Air Miles credit card is the BMO Air Miles Mastercard. The BMO Air Miles No-fee Business Mastercard is the best no fee Air Miles credit card for business owners and employees, and the Student BMO Air Miles Mastercard is the best no fee Air Miles credit card for students.
According to the Forbes Advisor Canada methodology, the BMO Air Miles World Elite Mastercard earns the highest score for competitive earn rates and travel perks on one card.
Signing up for an Air Miles collector card is easy. Simply visit airmiles.ca/en/join/profile-details.html and complete your profile.
